Drive-chain.



B. G. BERRIEN.

DRIVE CHAIN. ArrLmA nou 211.21) DBO. a, 1905. nzmnwnn was 23, 1908.

908,642. Patented Jan 5, 19091 INVENTOR WITNESSES. 7699/1. fiwzw g A vi MTQRNEY Jan/rum.-

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To all whom it may concern:

-to be journaled in the head. sprocket-link is made of sheet metal, these ends, or a larger portion of them, is made by nniirnnsrarns PATENT BENJAMIN eissasmmor sntnesronryconnsoncur.

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Application filed December 8, iodl llerlsil'ho. 290,931.. Renewed 23, H. 08. erlal No. 440,935.

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN G. Bate men, a citizen of the United states, anda resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drive-Chains, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in detachable rectangular drive chain links used in connection with sprocket-wheels Heretofori nks of this character have been either castor made from sheet metal. A cast link must necessarily be made bulky in proportion to the size required in order to give the necessary strength, and the sheet metal link being of uniform thickness throughout,

the metal cannot be properly distributed so as to support those'points where the greatest strain is brought to bear so that, regardless of its size, the link isno stronger than at its weakest part. a

My improved link is formed from a bar that has been hot rolled so as to distribute the metal with regard to the proper reinforcegnent of suchparts of the link that is required to withstand the greates strain. One

end ot the link, of the character mentioned,

has an enlarged portion or head to form the sprocket-bar adapted to contact or roll between the wheel sprockets, and the other end is provided with a smaller portion adapted W' hen the breaking'down the body or central portion of the'link and turning the free ends of severed metal in opposite direction to complete these ends. This necessitates increasing the length ofthe links in order to form these ends, resulting in an increased cost, besides weakening the link by increasing its-length.

In my improved link, only so much of its central portion is broken down as is necessary to complete the formation of the sprocket-bar, while the opposite end or journal portion of the link is made solid, thus reducing the length of the link by so much metal as otherwise would be required in formin a portion of such journal from the Y Fig. 2-- 1s a View showing a finished and an unfinished link on the bar: Fig. 3- is a side elevationofa section of a drive-chain formed of my improved links: Fig. d is an upper plan view of the chain section shown at Fig. 3.

Its construction is as follows: Rolls, not

shown, are used to form the strip or bar shown at Fig. 1, which rolls are so constructed that a greater amount of metal is deposited at the point a, one of the weak points of the link. The solid circular end 1 forms the journal portion of the link, presently to be explained, and the lip 2 is a portion 0 the bearing for this journal. This bar is fed into the proper machine, not shown, to partially break down the central portion of the stock in the link to be formed on the end of the bar, then the bar is advanced to turn this central portion around into a partially closed eye or hearing for the journal 1.

In Fig. 2 a complete link is formed with the lower lip 3 curled around to complete the said bearing, which is broken down trorn the central portion, as before mentioned leaving the open sprocket space I; and side bars 4 and 5. At the same time that the lip 3 is carried around in the first link, the lip 3. in the second link is partially roken down, or rather, fully broken down but not turned, and, at the same time, the completed link is severed from the bar at the point a. If the stock is very heavy, the first operation may be to simply mark or outline the point of separation of the lip; the next operation to fully sever the lip on three'sides and the third operation to bend the lip around.

It will readily be seen that, it the journal end 1, and the sprocket-bar and bearing for the journal end of the link were both formed from the central or. body portion of the stock, the link would have to be correspondingly increased in length, but as only one hp is thus taken out of'the body oil-the link, said link can be proportionally shortened and incidentally strengthened thereby. The weak parts of a link of this character are at the journal-bar end 1, and the point a. oi the sprocket-bar end. As the former is made solid, and the latter is increased in thickness to withstand the necessary strain incidental to breakin down the lip 3, and the working strain on t (5 Links when coupled together, as shown at Fl 5. 3 and i, it is quite clear that my improve link possesses advantages over links made out of sheet metal of uniform thickness throughout, as there is no way such of the link, and reinforced portions a to give sheet metal links can be reinforced. additional strength to the link, for the pur- Having thus described my invention what pose set forth. I claim as new and desire to secure by Let- Si ned at Bridgeport in the county of 5 ters Patent is: Fair eld and State of Connecticut this 14th 15 A detachable link for drive-chains made day of Nov. A. D1905 of rolled metal comprising a solid circular BENJAM ING. BERRIEN. journal-bar. end, a sprocket bar end and Witnesses: bearing for the journal-bar end having one GEORGE W. FINN,

10 of its lips formed from the central portion S. J. CHAFFEE. 

